10:36 CST Sunday 12/21/25
.....out celebrating the Winter Solstice I guess LOL. What did you do?
v/r,dr
Van's Air Force
The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!
WDYDWYRTW? Dec 20-21, 2025.
- Thread starter DeltaRomeo
- Start date
10:36 CST Sunday 12/21/25
.....out celebrating the Winter Solstice I guess LOL. What did you do?
v/r,dr
Flew down to mid-way (KJWY) for the annual Parker family Christmas dinner. Nice headwind going west on Saturday. Of course it was gone for the return flight. Still a 3 hour flight beats an 8 hour drive. Merry Christmas!
Tug at Mid-Way (KJWY)
Route
11,000’ running at peak
Sniffing O2
DC3 at Mid-way (KJWY)
Tug at Mid-Way (KJWY)
Route
11,000’ running at peak
Sniffing O2
DC3 at Mid-way (KJWY)
You’re getting the hours in! Think of all the money you’re saving by flying the eight versus the 195. (Hey, the back seat is empty)
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
I swear you must have taken that screenshot the one time of day I WASN’T flying lol. Took a couple quick XC flights, then knocked out my IPC. Grateful to finally get some foggle time in the RV. Flew 5.1 hours this weekend not including 0.7 in a 172 for currency.
Attachments
pazmanyflyer
Well Known Member
Took the wife to Sedona for breakfast Sunday. Almost a windless day and visibility forever.
Pic: Looking North. First ridge line is over I-17 and Campe Verde, AZ. Next line is red rocks of Sedona. Then Humphrey Peak north of Flagstaff in the back. That's 60+ nm visibility from my location to the Peak. (7500 msl / 2500 agl)
Pic: Looking North. First ridge line is over I-17 and Campe Verde, AZ. Next line is red rocks of Sedona. Then Humphrey Peak north of Flagstaff in the back. That's 60+ nm visibility from my location to the Peak. (7500 msl / 2500 agl)
Attachments
Spent some time helping a buddy make repair plans. The engine quit for currently unknown reasons. He was almost close enough to make the runway, but not quite. At the last he had to choose...try to stretch it, and maybe use the 6 ft chain link along the road as a catch net, or purposely land short in the field across from the threshold. He made a quick decision to take the field. Dropped the flaps and pulled to near stall to max out the descent rate. Shoehorned it in nicely, but there wasn't enough energy for a decent flare. So, this is what RV-7 gear legs look like if you sho'nuff drop it in.
The airplane didn't go upside down. The prop had stopped perfectly horizontal. It never touched the ground, although the fuselage rocked forward enough to crack the spinner. The wheelpants got into the bottom of both tanks, so they will need some rebuilding. The legs need a little work. Otherwise, as we say, it's just fiberglass.
The airplane didn't go upside down. The prop had stopped perfectly horizontal. It never touched the ground, although the fuselage rocked forward enough to crack the spinner. The wheelpants got into the bottom of both tanks, so they will need some rebuilding. The legs need a little work. Otherwise, as we say, it's just fiberglass.
Interesting that it didn't break the engine mount. Most all of the incidents like this breaks the engine mount at the upper gear leg attach point.
I would check that engine mount very carefully for cracks.
Last weekend, it was time to resuscitate my very rusty instrument scan. The workout sheet had a Pattern H, similar to the old Pattern B, and a zig zag Pattern I. Whine on: the otherwise wonderful Garmin G3X Touch has a very small and nearly unreadable top of the HSI and heading lubber line, and it's real hard to read a heading. Similarly, it's hard to read pitch because pixels don't move much with pitch change, especially when you're really, really rusty and working much too hard. I think it's easier when. there's a course deviation indicator displayed, and you can look at its angular orientation.
This last weekend, I gave dual (I wasn't a required crew member, so no medical required) on the Expanded Envelope Exercises® in a Cherokee 180. Boy, was I unimpressed with the airplane, i.e., spoiled by the RV, although there are places where the Cherokee can land with three big wheels that I wouldn't want to try with the RV-9A's smaller wheels. And despite my student's considerable experience, the Exercises were eye-opening -- well worth his time.
Here's a shot from the insta360 X5 after the masochistic instrument flight, and note that I'm flying with my fingertips. Still haven't got the intercom audio to record, and that might be the Y cable.
And Merry Christmas to all y'all!
This last weekend, I gave dual (I wasn't a required crew member, so no medical required) on the Expanded Envelope Exercises® in a Cherokee 180. Boy, was I unimpressed with the airplane, i.e., spoiled by the RV, although there are places where the Cherokee can land with three big wheels that I wouldn't want to try with the RV-9A's smaller wheels. And despite my student's considerable experience, the Exercises were eye-opening -- well worth his time.
Here's a shot from the insta360 X5 after the masochistic instrument flight, and note that I'm flying with my fingertips. Still haven't got the intercom audio to record, and that might be the Y cable.
And Merry Christmas to all y'all!
Yes sir - Anna stayed home with our sick dog.
We’ve flown a lot this year, 170 hours so far and headed out again today to the visit east coast family.
Merry Christmas
Ed,
Can’t tell what type of intercom you have but it looks like a Garmin. If you swap it out with a GMA 245 and get a camera that can receive Bluetooth then you don’t need any cables. I have a GMA 245 and a Garmin VIRB 360 and a Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 and they both record real time audio with superb clarity. Both cameras aren’t made anymore but are readily available online.
Great idea, thanks! I had a VIRB but it died and is missed. I'll check up on hooking up the GoPro and the insta360 via Bluetooth while still controlling the insta360 from the cell phone. The audio panel is a Garmin 245 with but a single bluetooth channel.
UPDATE: Did a recording at home with Bluetooth audio from the Mac, worked fine!
Last edited:
Getting my SteinAir panel and avionics installed in the 7A. A bit more wire to run..... Then engine wiring, canopy, yatta, yatta, yatta...... at least there's heat in the garage!
Merry Christmas VAF !!
Mike
Merry Christmas VAF !!
Mike
Love me some -3!A brief flight in the cold; a formation flight of the two 3's with @EdH followed by a dogfightView attachment 105262
View attachment 105263
Just wondering which -3 is faster. They look similarly set up except for the old-style wheel pants vs pressure-recovery...... Curious minds want to know.A brief flight in the cold; a formation flight of the two 3's with @EdH followed by a dogfight
View attachment 105263
The yellow one is a 160hp O-320 and the white one is a 115hp O-235 so there is a bit of a performance difference, but the lower powered one is a lot lighter. Quite different but both brilliant to fly
